Nachet's Binocular Compound Microscope

This intricately detailed compound binocular microscope was designed and built by Camille Sébastien Nachet in the late 1850s. The microscope is a member of the collection of the Royal Microscopical Society in London and has been described by Gerard Turner in his book The Great Age of the Microscope.

The most unique feature of this microscope is the true stereoscopic image produced by a beamsplitter, which directs light into each separate eye piece by means of a series of prisms. A heavy brass foot is leaded for extra support and serves as a foundation for the limb via two trunnions that connect through a hinge joint. Both of the body tubes are numbered for identification (1 & 2) and they have a short draw-tube, which holds the Huygenian eyepieces. The circular stage does not rotate, but does have a pair of spring clips to secure the specimen. Although no condenser is present, the substage mirror is concave and mounted on a fixed arm to project light through an aperture onto the specimen.